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Tempestus Scions
, Hotshot Lasgun and backpack-mounted power generator]] Storm Troopers are the elite special forces units of the Imperial Guard. Armed with their trademark Hellguns and Hellpistols, these soldiers take combat to the heart of the enemy with blinding speed and deadly precision. Their accuracy is aided by their Carapace Armour's integrated targeting system. Organisation Storm Troopers form a single Imperial Guard Regiment, which is unique in that it is a permanent unit, receiving a constant influx of new recruits to keep it up to full strength. By virtue of its members having been recruited from the progena of the Schola Progenium, the regiment is made up of soldiers from worlds throughout the Imperium. With up to ten thousand men under arms at any one time, the regiment is also larger than most other regiments. However this huge force does not fight in a single place; individual companies or battalions are instead sent to war zones, and from there, individual Storm Trooper squads are spread among the other Imperial Guard regiments in a given warzone as required. The Storm Trooper unit assigned to a warzone provides a core of elite squads, which are entrusted to carry out important missions requiring more training and initiative than possessed by the average Imperial Guardsman. Storm Trooper squads are effective at spearheading assaults into heavily fortified positions, infiltrating behind enemy lines and sowing confusion and panic. They are often dropped into the thick of combat from Valkyrie Assault Carriers, guns blazing before they even touch the ground. Storm Trooper recruits are chosen from the progena of the Schola Progenium, where they have been raised and educated, and molded into loyal and dedicated servants of the Emperor of Mankind. They are then taught to use superior battle tactics and the use of more advanced equipment than the average Guardsmen. The regiments to which the Storm Troop squads are attached often regard the inimitably dedicated and better equipped Storm Troopers with a certain amount of animosity, referring to them by such names as 'Glory Boys' and 'Big Toy Soldiers'. Regardless of the opinion of the average Guardsman, none who witness Storm Troopers in action can deny they are worthy of such titles. Several types of Imperial Guard Regiments commonly employ Storm Troopers as part of their order of battle, such as the: *Armageddon Steel Legion *Cadian Shock Troops *Death Korps of Krieg *Harakoni Warhawks *Terrax Guard In some rare instances, several squads of Storm Troopers will gather for a mission which is intended to be an annihilation of a target, rather than a take-and-hold. This task force is referred to as a Storm Trooper Strike Force. Types of Storm Troopers Storm Troopers can be divided roughly into four different categories: Imperial Storm Troopers, Inquisitorial Storm Troopers, Grenadiers and Cadian Kasrkin. *'Grenadiers', unlike Imperial Storm Troopers, are formed from the toughest and most skilled members of an already existing Imperial Guard Regiment. This practice is normally found on highly martial worlds, such as Cadia or Krieg. They are selected while they are still in the youth armies of the local Planetary Defence Forces or during their Imperial Guard basic training and are enrolled in special academies where they receive additional training. They are utterly dedicated to the preservation of the Imperium and follow an ethos of duty and honour that is both impressive and intimidating. Unlike Imperial Storm Troopers, who are looked upon with disdain by the standard Guardsmen, Grenadiers are looked up to and seen as a model to follow and emulate, as Grenadiers are from the same world as the rest of the regiment. Grenadiers are often known by different names, depending upon the world they hail from, such as the Cadian Kasrkin, who are considered both a type of Storm Troopers and the Cadian equivalent of Grenadiers. *'Imperial Storm Troopers' are the closest equivalent the Imperial Guard possess to elite special forces; they act as shock troopers and commandos, conducting raids behind enemy lines and acting as the spearhead for later offensive assaults. Storm Troopers are selected from graduates of the Schola Progenium for their outstanding skills in the arts of war, but lack the iron personalities and charisma that would earmark them to become an Imperial Commissar or Imperial Guard officer or the affinity for space warfare that would make them an Imperial Navy officer. They are usually not from the same regiment or homeworld as those they serve with. Due to this origin, their superior equipment and training, they are often called "Glory Hogs" or "Toy Soldiers" by most regular Guardsmen, who are jealous of their skill and their perquisites. *'Inquisitorial Storm Troopers' - The Inquisition maintains a number of fortresses throughout the galaxy, both secret and known to the inhabitants of the Imperium. Inquisitorial Storm Troopers are used by the Imperial Inquisition to guard their fortresses and the Black Ships as they make their purity runs across the Imperium's sectors, as well as to augment an individual Inquisitor's personal forces with reliable and effective soldiers. Many Storm Troopers of particular skill are chosen to become an Inquisitor's Throne Agents. Inquisitorial Storm Troopers are selected from families with a record of unwavering faith in the Emperor and prior duty to the Inquisition. They are trained and equipped in a manner similar to Imperial Guard Storm Troopers, albeit lacking the rapid insertion and infiltration skills, as they are not expected to undertake such types of missions which are more often carried out for the Inquisition by the Officio Assassinorum. fighting on Cadia during the 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41]] *'Kasrkin' are part of the Imperial Guard structure and are dedicated solely to the security of the Fortress World of Cadia. Their name comes from the title of the cities of Cadia, which are called "Kasrs" in the Cadian dialect of Low Gothic. Thus, the name of these units means the "City Kin." These are the elite of the already superior Cadian Planetary Defence Forces and are recruited while still serving as Whiteshields or recruits in the Cadian armed forces. Their training is comparable, if not better than, that of Imperial Storm Troopers (they are the Cadian equivalent) and they are utterly dedicated to the preservation of Cadia, whereas Storm Troopers are indoctrinated to dedicate themselves to the defence of the entire Imperium. They are highly trained in the use of numerous weapons, and wear Carapace Armour. They have an ethos of duty and honour and a devotion to the Emperor that is impressive for members of the Imperial Guard. Whereas the standard Storm Trooper is looked down upon in envy by standard Imperial Guardsmen, the standard Kasrkin is looked up to with favour and respect. They are the ultimate defenders of Cadia from the enemies of the Imperium, such as the ever-present Forces of Chaos, and they lead the charge in the defence of Cadia, particularly during the early days of Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade in 999.M41 when Cadia was invaded by the Forces of Chaos. To be a Kasrkin is to hold a position of honour in Cadian society, and all Cadians recognise this truth. Notable Storm Trooper Units *'2378th Storm Troopers Company' - The 2378th Company participated in Operation Deathblow during the Taros Campaign of 998.M41. During this operation, 3 volunteer squads of Storm Troopers led by Colonel Scheja attacked the headquarters of a Tau army near Tarokeen on the Mining World of Taros during the Taros Campaign in order to kill the alien leader, the Ethereal Aun'Vre. Aided by the suicide bombing attack of a highly-skilled operative of the Officio Assassinorum's Eversor Temple, the mission succeeded. Sources *''Codex: Daemonhunters'' (3rd Edition) *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (2nd Edition), p. 21 *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (3rd Edition, Revised Codex) *''Codex: Imperial Guard (5th Edition) *''Codex: Witch Hunters (3rd Edition) *''Imperial Armour: Volume Three - Taros Campaign '' Gallery Stormtrooper 2nd Edition.jpg|Imperial Storm Trooper armed with a Hotshot Lasgun Imperial Stormtrooper2.jpg|A Cadian Karskin Stormtrooper.jpg|A Storm Troopers Squad in action Stormtroopers Air Assault.jpg|Storm Troopers during an Air Assault Operation using a Valkyrie Category:S Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Guard